8.28.2011

Lawyer's gift and two funny cards! (The 16th anniversary is sterling holloware)

As I shared on Friday, Lawyer and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. We had planned a low key, read regular night shuffling dinner and three kids, evening as we had tried and failed to find a sitter!

As luck would have it a sitter emerged about 2 pm and quickly we planned to head out for quick dinner. Hair Girl was cutting Lawyer's hair about 3:30 and suggested that he take me to Chicken and the Egg. I owe her for the suggestion and of course ... the amazing friendship!!!

I love this restaurant and its amazing farm style fresh cuisine. It reminds me of my favorite weekend gaunt Serenbe in Palmetto, Georgia. Every thing they serve is fresh, local and organic. The flavors are unbeatable!!

Lawyer arrived home ... showered ... waited on me to get ready and we head out. He might have even grabbed a cat nap while I dried my hair. Oh, the things that men wait on us to do.

As we were heading out Lawyer asked me if I wanted to drive since I knew where we were going. I agreed. As I opened up the door and got into the car I noticed a happy waiting on me in my seat.

Insert squeals of excitement and even a few tears. Hugs and kisses and more hugs ...

I am one lucky girl!

We started with drinks, pimento cheese and crab cakes. He ordered the strip with macaroni and cheese and greens. I ordered the sea scallops with pimento cheese grits. Every single thing I put into my mouth was simply over the top.

We left and I was quite tipsy from the not one, but two glasses of Berry Fizz ... hangar one raspberry vodka, lillet rouge infused with lavender & pink peppercorn, blueberries, raspberries,

8.27.2011

I saw this on Preppy 101's facebook page while I was vacationing in Amelia. It was so perfect for me. I asked if I could have it and she sweetly agreed!

I love a polo shirt! And I love the color popped! They are perfect in the summer matched with my Lilly shorts and Rainbow flip flops. It is my summer uniform. I am also likely to pair a polo with a Lilly skirt in the heat of the summer at church. It works for me!

In the fall I pair them with JCrew or Canvas khakis and, once again, my Rainbow flip flops. I love a polo almost as much as much as my Rainbow flops ... its a perfect love affair.

8.25.2011

I have been so tired lately. So incredibly tired! I think its the combination of the hot days of summer, the early morning alarms and running around like a crazy girl. I also need to have my iron checked ... I feel like I could fall asleep all day every day! ugh ... When I get this tired I found it hard not to be grumpy. Who wants a grumpy mommy?

While reading blogs yesterday I was inspired to make a list of things that have made me happy

8.24.2011

I had a date yesterday with my friend Maggi on the Marietta Square. It was a gorgeous day, we ate outside, the food was fabulous and they served me an orange slice for my tea. What else can a girl ask for? I adore Maggi and she swears the feeling is mutual!! xoxo

On the way home I stopped in at one of my favorite cupcake joints for a sweet treat!

After I left I swung in the CFA drive thru for a sweet tea. The manager leaned out and inquired if I had just been to Miss Mamie's.

Why yes ... yes I did!

Then he asked ... Is that a blueberry cupcake I spy?

And yes ... you are correct again ... it is a blueberry cupcake! He looked a little disappointed when I didn't offer it to him!

Fast forward 2 hours ....

I was prepared when the kids arrived home off the bus ...

Which was good because my hot, tired and full of emotions baby girl was done!!!

Insert a cupcake ...

a glass of milk ...

10 to 20 minutes ...

and all is right with the world once again!

At least until she breaks down at 5:00 pm when she is tucked into bed promptly at 6:00 with her beloved blanket and a kiss. That baby girl is amazing but when she is tired she is a mess. The girl loves to sleep!

My favorite part of the afternoon was when the teenager asked which cupcake he could have.

I responded ... the blueberry one!

His question ... which one is the blueberry?

Um ... long day sweets?

Hope your day includes a sweet treat!!!

xo,

MPM

ps ... of course I should say the best part of my day was the lemon lavender cupcake! To die for!!!

8.22.2011

I swear this is true. I seem to acquire more and more each year. Ten years ago I was simply using shampoo on my hair and bar soap on my face and my body. When I turned thirty I visited the Bobby Brown counter at Nordstrom and purchased an entire line of face care products. At this time I was now using shampoo on my hair and face wash, toner and moisturizer on my face.

for my face ...

minus face wash which I am currently out of & adding Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer which I love!!!

Enter conditioner and body wash. I was a new woman. Who knew you could feel so good after getting out of the shower? This took the after bath Body Oil to a whole new level.

Then I decided to grow out my hair. Hair Girl keeps adding steps and products. Now my shower looks like the health and beauty section at Sephora. Not that I am complaining ... I am just shocked at how much I use know that I swear I could not do without each and every day.

for my hair after its shampooed and conditioned ...

Thanks to Hair Girl for the salon quality shampoo and conditioner I adore!!! xo

I thought I was complete! I had all the products shown above plus good sunscreen, good lotion and what I was sure was good anti aging creams!

8.21.2011

The service today was amazing! It was about recovery! Our nation has so much work to do in the recovery department!!

Before the sermon one of our praise songs was a favorite of mine ... Amazing Grace! I found myself shedding tears I could not control as I sang the words ... I am so incredibly thankful for all I have been given!!!

Amazing grace
How sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed.
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

8.20.2011

Wow! The chicken with tomatoes and garlic was amazing!!! I did not eat the chicken because Lawyer did not bring anything home from the store without skin and bones .... but the sauce and the pasta was to die for!! The smell in my kitchen alone was worth the effort. It smelled like Bistro Lawyer!!!

The family loved it! My choice for dinner finally earned the "gofer" title. This phrase in the our house is a coveted title. If your meal is dubbed "gofer" you have arrived. Of course more than one of my children asked if it was take out. I tried not to get offended!

Hubs tells a story of when his parents were first married and his mother made dinner. She asked his dad at the end of the meal how the meal fared. He smiled and said ... "it tasted like gopher". She burst into tears and fled the room. He was confused. He simply meant it was so good he planned to go for seconds. To this day if someone states this meal is "gofer" you smile and say thanks!

I am planning to venture out with even more of her recipes and see if I can keep the gofers coming! We shall see!!!

8.19.2011

Let's once again discuss my distate for making dinner. I simply do not enjoy it. I have done all I can to make it the most appealing to me and it is a little better. But I have to say at the end of the day (errands, laundry, cleaning and kid corraling) I am not in the mood to make dinner. I would much rather sit down to a meal made for me with my loving family surrounding me and enjoy the time together. But .. since the cook has yet to show up for work I am still responsible for preparing the evening meal.

Sigh ...

I got a little adventurous and checked out the Pioneer Woman website. I will say it is not at all what I thought it would be. It's pretty faboulous. Every recipe comes with amazing photos and they all make the food look amazing!!! I spent way too long perusing the site this am and ran out of time to hit the market before my lunch plans (with Lawyer and his boss) so Lawyer is the one who will be doing todays marketing. We are having Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic for dinner.

I will let you know how it is. I will say ... I do not like dark meat and I do not eat anything off the bone so there will have to be a s/b breast in there somewhere!

During my perusing I found many yummy things to try ...

Avocado Egg salad ... this is a complete no brainer! I love egg salad and I am a huge fan of avocados.

The only question in my mind is how many different ways I can eat this!!!

Vegetable Lasagna .. it looks delicious!

I can see this becoming a staple for the winter.

Chicken Tortilla Soup ... another staple for winter.

I could eat this twice a day!!!

I swear anything you can add cilantro to I would eat ...

well almost anything!

And then this recipe stopped me in my tracks!!!

Iced Coffee ...

... does that not look like the most delicious thing you have ever seen???

You make the coffee and store in the frig and then you can have iced coffees on a whim! Or have friends over for iced coffee. Or offer someone an iced coffee when they pop in. The options are endless!

8.18.2011

I go to the market (that's fancy for grocery store) almost every day. I used to go once a week but by the time the latter part of the week came I no longer wanted to eat what I had planned. I am not a fan of the store or cooking really but I seem to do better when I find something I want to make and shop that day. I usually buy that days dinner and any supplies we are low on or out of. Today my basket contained peanut butter, Clif junior bars, peanut butter crackers, milk, lunch meat, granola and some additional school supplies. Lawyer is handling dinner so I did not need to to grab those items.

I try not to keep too many fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. I buy what we need and we use them quickly. Two days ago I bought apples and pears. I have found that if I only buy a few of each they don't fuss when I serve them what's available.

My drawers in the frig are really deep. In the left drawer is all of my salad fixings and in the big drawer on the bottom is full of cheese, meats, cream cheese and sandwich supplies. The middle drawer is full of yogurt tubes. The kids go thru these like mad. Those boxes drove me crazy. The right drawer is Papa's.

And remember when you email me to comment on the craziness of my organized frig ... more than one of you asked to see it!

8.17.2011

I love to be organized! I love knowing things have a place and they are easy to find for all! It makes me happy!!!

This is the desk in the kitchen ... all the binders are organized and labeled! We have binders for each childs current year and one for each as a permanent record. I keep things like report cards, awards and special notes and keepsakes. It is hard to whittle down but totally worth it in the end.

The right side ... the red bucket is for homework. All the needed supplies are ready to be used and returned for the next days work.

And the drawers of the desk. I need to find a great pencil sharpener that works. We have had plenty that eat the heck out of your pencil and then the lead breaks when you try to use it. Any ideas Preppy 101?

Of course when you purge each year before the school year begins .. there is a major pile o'crap to clean up! It always amazes me how much I think I need only to realize I was drinking when I thought it would be necessary a year later!

And if you are wondering if the organization just exists in the kitchen ...

I can assure you its not! It is kind of everywhere!

Lawyer thinks its a sickness ... and I just think it makes sense!

He calls me Monica Geller and swears just like they did on Friends ... I would love a tiny vaccuum to clean the bigger one!

8.16.2011

I still get emails and comments asking how I am and how we are all adjusting to our new status. The answer ... truly I am good and we are all well! Yes, the plans have changed (temporarily) but we are adjusting and all is great!

I truly am so incredibly thankful for your concern and your comments. I consider my blog and its readers to be a village that I am blessed to have surrounding me. I do not write my blog for any other reason than to have a creative outlet and to journal my life. I never expected to have a "following" of any kind. I am thankful for the blessing it has brought me.

The sermon yesterday was on small groups. The question posed to us was ... When we fall down and we all do ... who is it that picks us up?

First and foremost ... my God. I have become more and more dependant on my Savior for everything. I would not have it any other way.

Secondly ... I am blessed with amazing and supportive friends. And above that I have not one but two of the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for. One makes me laugh when I only want to cry and the other one continually points me back to my Savior. It is this friend who has been instrumental in the growth in my faith. I love you more than lattes and cupcakes! And you know I love cupcakes!!!

Lastly I have a wonderful dad and a sweet and supportive father in law. Without their calls, emails, cards, notes and shoulders I would be a pile of mush in the corner of my room. I am truly thankful.

So yes ... we are adjusting and the days are passing. With each new day I feel more and more like me.

This too shall pass ... and I will be challenged in other ways. I am ok with that. I am thankful for the growth and strength I have achieved.

8.15.2011

I love summer. I love everything about it. I love trading out their backpacks for pool bags, their tennis shoes for flip flops. I love the stack of pool towels on the dryer and the market list that every week says "pool snacks, diet coke, sunscreen". I am not one of those mom's who begs for summer to be over and the kids to rush back to school.

I love summer!

But ... to keep my children educated and balanced ... they must go back to school ...

sigh

And today is that day.

They left this morning at 7:30 off to start 1st, 4th and 9th grades. I am not sure which one saddens me more ... the thought of my baby going to 1st grade or my oldest starting high school. Truth be told ... they both stink!

The kids however were all very excited! They were all up before their alarms. They were dressed and their beds made before I asked and they scarfed down their breakfast before I finished making my coffee. When I finally told them they could go outside for the bus you would have thought I told them they all won the lottery.

That is not the shirt I ironed and laid out for him ... but he said he looked cooler wearing it.

I tried to add the teenager to this photo ... he rolled his eyes and said sweetly ... no thanks!

Baby girl and one of her besties!

As the bus pulled away ... Lawyer turned to me and asked ... did they even say goodbye?

I am not sure they did!

I did get a photo of my high schooler! But I am not sure he even noticed!

Sweet boy!

Have a great day!

Mine will sure be quiet ... that is until 3:30

xo,

MPM

eta ... yes Babygirl is tall ... she is taller than all of her fellow classmates. I am hoping she will be happy about it one day because right now it makes her mad. She wants to petite like all her little friends. Oh baby girl ... this is just the beginning.

Thanks for the compliment! I adore Little Mister's glasses. He looks adorable in them! The frames run $450 and I am so glad I was not made to pay anything close to that amount. He would not be wearing them if they did!

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